Lost Child (Bleach Fanfic)

Cruel Awareness

Word came to Kaien that the boy wasn't feeling well through a Hell Butterfly sent by Unohana. He carefully went to his and Miyako's room and picked up the teddy bear they had been holding back. He carefully tucked it in his arms and hurried over to the forth division, a frown spread across his face. The fukutaicho of the thirteenth division slipped into the room and held out the bear to his wife.

Miyako looked at him in surprise. "Kaien... you said to hold that off."

"I said to hold it off until we knew we needed it. We needed it." The man added in something then. "Unohana said for once you're not having any luck calming him down and even Momo is getting worried. She was actually here a little while ago with Nanao."

"I..." The woman held out the toy. "Look Toshiro! It's a stuffed bear. It's a nice, soft toy."

Kaien swallowed and then said something he would have rather not say. "It's something your oto-san left you."

The child's eyes stopped clamping shut and opened to look at the toy. A hiccup escaped and Miyako handed it to him. The woman blinked a couple of times. "Yes... do you remember your oto-san."

"That's honestly a good question Miyako. Do you know what set that off Miyako? Is crying I mean?"

"I don't know." The woman paused, touching his forehead. Without her saying anything he knew the child wasn't well and yet she said it anyways.

"I have some time off... I'll stay with you two." Kaien sat in the other chair and looked at the ceiling, waiting paitently for Miyako's order. Finally after a day she let out a sigh of relief. "It broke. Would you send a Hell Butterfly to Momo-chan. I promised her that I would send for her. Also... I told her that we were thinking of adopting her and Toshiro."

"What..." Kaien shook his head. "What if she has other plans for the two of them? You said not to get our hopes up."

"She's looking for a way to stay together with him and to be honest it really is their only option. You yourself noted that her grades aren't as good as they would need to be for that to happen."

"No... she wouldn't get a seated position. Still... we wanted to wait until he was better and could understand what was going on."

"You're brother told her."

"What..." Kaien paused in the doorway and turned towards her, frowning as he did so.

"Apparently he accosted her at the introduction held at the school and told her to call him uncle."

"Good grief. He... I am leery of introducing her to the rest of our family now." The man slipped out of the room and waited at the entrance for the girl to arrive. "I apologize for nii-sama's behavior the other day. Miyako just told me as she's been so busy fussing over Toshiro-kun." He then spun on his heals so that he could walk with her. "I also heard that she told you we planned on adopting you and Toshiro. How do you feel about it?"

"We've been busy with classes and I haven't had a chance to talk about this with my friends yet. I kind of worry that Renji will encourage me to get adopted because being adopted by one of the five noble clans means that I will be taken care of and be well off. On the other hand he'll also stop talking to me once that happens like he did with Rukia.'

"Kuchiki's little sister?" Kaien thought for a few minutes as he walked. "Well... the Kuchiki clan has always been one of the stricter clans. Keep in mind that our clan doesn't mind intermingling with the commoner folk like the others do and if you have to remind him of that.'

"So you've met Rukia?" Momo looked up. "I don't understand why Renji is so occupied with her. I mean... I understand the fact you want to be around your childhood friends for ever and..." The girl paused, stopping short. "I said I would never go back to the village because of what they did but aren't I doing what Renji is doing to Rukia?"